Local hoops fans are in for an early season treat.
Guess who will be disembarking from the ferry Aurora when it pulls into Cordova on Dec. 16?
None other than longtime arch-rival Valdez—for a weekend series of girls’ and boys’ varsity and junior varsity basketball action.
While Cordova has been a perennial invitee to the long-running Valdez Valentines Elks Tournament, it has been many years since head-to-head faceoffs were scheduled.
The Alaska School Activities Association’s (ASAA) basketball realignment of conferences and changes in classification to 1A through 4A—based on school proximity and enrollment—has leveled the playing field, but eliminated several traditional rivalries. Cordova versus Valdez was one of them, dating all the way back to the 1930s, when teams would travel by fishing vessels to compete.
The games will rotate between Valdez and Cordova on a yearly basis. Credit for the arrangement goes to a pair of former Cordova High School and Valdez High School basketball standouts—athletic directors Seth Balint (CHS) and Tod Wegner (VHS), who had first-hand experience with the intense competition during their playing days. The idea was developed when Cordova was in Valdez for activities and Wagner proposed using the ASAA Endowment Games (extra games allowed per year) for reviving the spirited rivalry.
As CHS boys’ varsity coach Jake Borst put it: “What a way to start a season—outstanding competition against a great rival.”
While the results will not count in win-loss records for seeding at tournament and playoffs, both athletic directors agreed they will count in bragging rights in the historic Prince William Sound Rivalry.
If you don’t believe it, just ask any fan at the CHS court this weekend.
Game Times:
Friday, Dec. 16 — JV boys at 4 p.m., JV girls at 5:30 p.m., Varsity boys at 7 p.m., Varsity girls at 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 17: — JV girls at 3 p.m., JV boys at 4:30 p.m., Varsity girls at 6 p.m., Varsity boys at 7:30 p.m.
